THE SOUTHERN SPRING MACKEREL FISHERY. 
197 
New York by the schooners Emma TF. Brown and Nellie N. Rowe, of Gloucester; the 
cargo of each vessel was about 125 barrels. The Nellie N. Rowe had been the lirst 
to land lish in the two preceding years, arriving at New York March 31, 1883, and 
March 24, 1884. Enormous bodies of small mackerel were found off our coast during 
most of the season, and unusually large quantities were landed at New Yoi k and Phila- 
delphia. About 175 vessels engaged in the fishery. The most active or fortunate ones 
landed as many as seven fares, while the average number of trips for the fleet was four 
or five. Probably not less than 850 trips, all told, were made to New York; these 
averaged from 140 to 150 barrels each, so that during the season about 125,000 barrels 
of fresh ma(;kerel were landed in that city, this quantity representing about 31,250,000 
fish. The large catch was considerably more than the dealers could handle and resulted 
in a serious glut in the market. As many as 130 vessels were in port with fish at one 
time, and the price had to be placed at a surprisingly low figure in order to dispose of 
them. Many fish at this time sold as low as 50 cents per 1,000, while large numbers 
were thrown away. The average priee for the season was between 75 cents and $1 per 
100 fish; taking the mean, it is seen that the value of the fish landed in New York was 
about $273,500. The fish caught during 1885 were comparatively small; the average 
number required to fill a barrel was 250. The suijply was unusually constant, there 
being only one week when storms interfered with fishing. 
Much has been said and written about the quantity of mackerel that had to be 
thrown away during the remarkable glut mentioned. It was stated at the time, and 
has been repeated in recent years, that the waste, which was enormous, amounted to 
40,000 or 50,000 barrels in the judgment of some, and to as much as 100,000 barrels 
according to others. While the circumstances attending the waste made it extremely 
difficult to form a close approximation of the quantity of fish involved, and afforded 
good ground for extravagant statements, yet the personal observations made at the 
time by the agents of the United States Fish Commission, confirmed by reliable 
authorities, showed that there was really little foundation for these high estimates, 
and indicated that only from 10,000 to 15,000 barrels of fresh mackerel were thus 
destroyed for want of a market, and that the most liberal estimate should not place 
the (juantity at over 20,000 or 25,000 barrels. 
In 1886 about 150 vessels prosecuted this fishery. The first vessel sailed from 
Gloucester March 11, and in a short while there was a large fieet off the Delaware 
coast. The fish were first- observed in a large body in latitude 37° 30', longitude 
75° 35', on March 28, when the first catch was made. For more than three weeks the 
mackerel remained in this region, and as late as May 15 a small fare was taken there. 
About the middle of May large schools of fish were noticed in latitude 38° 30', longi- 
tude 74°, and good fares were taken for about a week. During the height of the 
season there was a period of about twenty days when stormy weather caused the sus 
pension of the fishery to the very serious detriment of the fishermen. The quantity 
of fish landed in New York was much less than for a number of years; the fishery 
was almost a failure, and the greater part of the fleet failed to pay expenses. Perhaps 
half the vessels failed to secure any fish, and many of the others did not take enough 
to offset the expense of outfitting. Prior to the 1st of June 117 cargoes of fresh 
mackerel were landed in New York. These represented 2,739,370 fish, and sold out 
of the vessels for $78,507. The fares averaged 106 barrels, or 23,415 fish. The prices 
ranged from $1.50 to $10 i)er 100 fish, the books of the dealers showing $2.90 as the 
average. The fish, as a rule, were somewhat larger than for several years, the average 
weight being rather more than % pound, or 78 pounds to 100 fish. 
